Azzarian is for a new miscellaneous quest that will be released on Monday along with version 3.04.4. This is Glen Michael Cooper’s first role for the mod, but his brother Ryan has done various roles previously, so if you recognize the timbre of his voice, that’s why. Same make, different model.
Lately as part of the NPC overhaul, I’ve been playing a lot more Skyrim than I ever have before, seeing what works and what doesn’t. Along the way I’ve taken a few screenshots, so I may make this a monthly thing provided the photos are worth sharing.
In our first photo, we have Ange set to sandbox around an invisible Xmarker, which is basically to avoid making chairs and benches persistent. The problem is this sometimes leaves her standing in place as opposed to using the furniture around her. In this case, however, it kind of worked out well. Having her and Ingarte stand back to back was just pure serendipity.
Out of all the vanilla followers, I personally like to take Serana with me because she done taken one too many radscorpion stings to the head. Seriously, the woman is fucking nuts. Here she is stroking Alva’s thigh while glancing over at the player for approval. Does it turn you on when I pet the dead woman? Why yes, it kind of does, but only because I’m a pervert. Never change, Serana. You’re the best.
The last couple of times I’ve tested this quest, Renni has suffered from a serious case of gigantism. It only happens when she sits down at the table, but given that’s where the majority of the conversation happens, it can be rather distracting (although given the tenor of the quest, it might be a net positive). Anyhow, I’m used to child NPCs turning adult size at the table but at this rate Renni might have better luck playing power forward for the Portland Trailblazers than tag with the local children.
Yes, Meresine, that’s your bow. You put arrows in them and shoot them at your enemy. The thing on your back, the thing that’s on fire? That’s what we use to light the dark places. Incidentally it also seems to have burned off half your clothes. On second thought, forget what I just said.
What’s going on here? I don’t even…No, Serana! Shoo! Bad vampire!
Anyhow, that’s it for this episode. I probably spend way too much time playing with corpses instead of talking to NPCs and doing quests, but that’s probably Serana’s influence more than anything. After a bit of hacky sack I eventually decided to throw this one into the fire but that didn’t stop old grabby hands from pawing at its boot.
There are probably tens of thousands of Skyrims out there that run this mod. Tens of thousands of Old Hroldans filled with Hjalti’s ghost friend, Asteria the bard, and the precocious boy who gets pissed off when you spill mead on his rug (those mead stains are fucking tricky). And in every single one of those games there’s one other common denominator. An Orc. One who, despite having a name, has less to say than the bandits and peddlers that spawn across Skryim. In fact, she hardly says anything at all. She just sits on a bench and stares wordlessly at the wall.
Yet at long last, her internal, voiceless nightmare may be coming to an end. Duraz may finally get her say.
I never intended Duraz to be the only female Orc in the mod – or at least the only one with more than a handful of lines like Lagdu and Shelur. It’s just that given the difficulty finding a voice for Duraz, adding another Orc on top of that seemed rather foolish. This is why the next two hundred or so NPCs were at times female, and at times Orcs, but never both.
That may change in the future, but we shall see. The first hurdle will be getting Duraz herself voiced, and as I mentioned, things are looking up. The role has been cast and our chickens are halfway hatched. Now mind you, we’ve been down this road before. I even released a trailer for Duraz after half the lines were finished, only to have the actor vanish as quickly as she arrived. However, this time I’m somewhat optimistic.
Here is a GIF expressing my cautious optimism:
Okay, maybe I’ve already counted my chickens. Maybe I’ve already sold them to the local distributor to be chopped and Kentucky Fried. I’ve spent next week’s paycheck, I’ve seen the future, I’ve spiked the ball. Sure, we’re still on the fifty yard line, but the offense is moving and the great Jessica Osborne is playing tailback.
As far as voice actors go, Jessica is fantastic. Good, prompt, and steady. I’ve got her doing a couple of large roles for the mod, so you’ll be hearing more from her in the future. I’m absolutely sure of it.